- Source: Puolanka
Puolanka (Finnish: [ˈpuo̯lɑŋkɑ] ;Swedish: Puolanka, also Puolango) is a municipality in Finland located in the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of 2,352
(31 October 2024) and covers an area of 2,598.68 square kilometres (1,003.36 sq mi) of
which 137.3 km2 (53.0 sq mi)
is water. The population density is
0.96 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.5/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
The fir-tree topped line in the coat of arms of Puolanka refers to local forestry and the cattle bells to livestock management and past grazing in forest lands. The coat of arms was designed by Aake Kaarnama, and the Puolanka municipal council approved it at its meeting on 8 June 1962. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on 29 August of the same year.
Puolanka has been called the "most pessimistic municipality in Finland". In 2019, the municipality gained worldwide publicity when the BBC published a video about Puolanka, describing it as the "most pessimistic town in the world". Pessimism has a long tradition in the Kainuu region, and the residents of Puolanka decided to make it their trademark, which is why the residents organize various events related to the topic every year.
History
The first permanent settlers in Puolanka came in the 1550s.
The municipality of Puolanka was established in the year of 1867. In that same year the Puolanka parish became independent from the Hyrynsalmi church to which it had previously belonged to administratively. The municipal council of Puolanka was formed in the year of 1916.
At its peak Puolanka had a population of about 7,520 in 1960. Towards the end of the 1960s, however, Puolanka's population began to decline, alike other municipalities within Kainuu.
Geography
Ranked one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Finland, the 24-metre-high (79 ft) Hepoköngäs, is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the center of Puolanka.
= Villages
=Villages within Puolanka are as follows:
Notable individuals
Juha Sipilä, the Prime Minister of Finland 2015−2019
Kalle Määttä, volleyball player
Kaarina Mähönen, poet
Kari Hiltunen, sports journalist
Kimmo Saneri, writer
Lasse Väisänen, footballer
Louis Moilanen, giant
Markku Kukkoaho, sprinter
Santeri Haapanen, politician
Tauno Tarkkinen, writer
Tuulikki Pyykkönen, Olympic cross-country skier
Unto Väisänen, baseball player
Gallery
References
External links
Media related to Puolanka at Wikimedia Commons
Puolanka travel guide from Wikivoyage
Official website of Puolanka municipality